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All around athlete--these words can be associated best with Mike Kelly. A baseball star, a hockey star, Mike was no stranger to the spotlight.
Mike began his baseball career in 1959 with the Morell Bantams. Though it was his first year on the team, he became a key pitcher. That year, the team won many honors.
The following year, Mike moved up to the midget team. This team was defeated by the Plaster Rock entry for the Maritime Crown. In the three years that followed, Mike played for the Morell Beavers. During this time he grabbed three titles: top batter twice and all-star pitcher.
Then came the year of 1963. For Mike this was a big turning point in his baseball career. He became a member of the Charlottetown Legionnaires where he was dubbed the best left-handed pitcher of his age in the Maritimes. The following year, his team also won the Maritime title.
With two great years behind him, 1965-66 rolled around with more fruits of Mike's labour. Mike was chosen all-star pitcher for the National team, and the following year he was
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proclaimed "Athlete of the Year 1966" by Saint Dunstans University. In March of that year, Mike signed a 10-week instructional tryout with the St. Louis Cardinals and in the following June, went to Florida to attend the Rookie League.
Unfortunately, Mike was injured and unable to play in the Majors. He then came home to play ball with his old team in the Island league and in the Nova Scotia Senior League.
Mike Kelly was inducted into the PEI Hall of Fame in 2001–a man who was proof that "talent" is not defined as "flashy" and that being a "good sport" is as important as being "good at sports".
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| James 'Fiddler' MacDonald | George 'Mr. Baseball' Smith |
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